On Friday, April 29, Riverside School celebrated Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony in the school’s back field. Second and fourth grade classes were invited to participate along with a handful of volunteers and school staff.
Guests in attendance included First Selectman Fred Camillo, Jake Pollack, a tree climber for the Town of Greenwich, JoAnn Messina the Executive Director of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy and Melissa Conkling of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy. Greenwich Tree Conservancy is a local organization in conjunction with the town that 022aims to preserve green spaces and trees in the community.
Principal Christopher Weiss opened the event followed by remarks from JoAnn Messina. Fred Camillo then addressed the audience by reading an Arbor Day proclamation. Dr. Greg Kramer, the town tree warden, spoke to the students about the tree that was being planted, a shingle oak, a tree indigenous to the Greenwich area and answered students’ questions. At the close of the ceremony, the students were invited to place mulch on the planting.
“Riverside School is deeply committed to supporting local organizations in their efforts to preserve natural resources and green spaces,” said Christopher Weiss, Principal, Riverside School, “We are honored to receive this gift from the conservancy, and we hope that it serves as a reminder to our students about the importance of protecting trees in our community”.
